Young Writers Society

William nodded.

The strange architecture and overall quietness of castle made an uneasy, swirling pit of emotions form in their gut. It reminded them far too much of home—far too much of Father, who would have probably liked a place like this if he didn't have to hide underground. William had to keep reminding themself that they hadn't somehow returned to their childhood; the only comfort they found in that thought was that they would likely see this siblings again if they did.

"But I won't." skekRa reached into the disinfectant and removed the needle and thread, tying the thread tightly to the needle. He approached the table and took the Gelfling's hand, forcing him to remove the rag from his head. "You're both fools, but I'm nearly positive that your trust in me would result in harm coming to myself, as well. This will be our little secret, yes?"

The male Gelfling nodded in unison with Nosa, flinching as skekRa gripped his chin to hold him still.

"This will hurt," the Mortician warned him before sliding the needle into the Gelfling's skin. The Gelfling tensed up, holding his breath.

~

The Gelfling guards came to a stop outside a set of gigantic wooden doors.
"Wait here," one of them ordered. "I'll speak to the Emperor and the Lords." He disappeared through them. The other guard stayed with William, standing stiffly.

Well, William thought, this reminds me a little too much of...home.

The guard's stiffness was familiar, even though William had never met them before today. This really was bringing up all the memories they tried their best to forget—there had been countless times where Father's human guards had never known what to do with them.

William sighed.

In retrospect, maybe some things about their country should have been more obvious.

William looked over at the remaining guard.

"What's your name?" they asked. "You never me told yours."

"Hush," the guard snapped, baring his teeth at William. "Don't talk. And don't talk until the Emperor speaks to you, if he deems it appropriate."

~

skekRa went about his work quickly and efficiently, keeping such a firm grip on the Gelfling that his claws pierced the flesh a little. Nosa looked on anxiously, sitting perfectly still on her stool.

"If anyone asks, you got Nosa to stitch it up," he said to the Gelfling. "I don't make a habit of this so you're on your own next time."

"Yes, sir," the Gelfling stammered.

William narrowed their eyes.

They weren't new to being diplomatic. They were a shapeshifter; playing roles was what they did. They likely wouldn't have said anything to the emperor until the emperor asked because they knew that was what was considered normal in most places.

But they weren't standing before the emperor now.

They were standing before—beside—a guard, and they were trying to be friendly.

"I'll speak when I want to speak," William coldly said.

"Then you won't last long here," the guard said simply, and went quiet.
Through the thick doors, a small commotion of voices could be heard, shrieks and gasps, then hushed whispers.

~

His work was done quickly, and skekRa tied of the wound with brisk efficiency.

"I trust you have herbs to fight off infection?" he asked Nosa. Nosa nodded.
"Thank you so much, my Lord. We're both very grateful."

"Hrm." skekRa turned away and Nosa, who had gotten up to look the other Gelfling over, had to leap out of the way to avoid his lashing tail. "You should both go, now. I have actual work to do."

That was ominous.

But William had been dealing with two somewhat dramatic teenagers for the past few days, so the combination of the warning and the noises from inside the room wasn't nearly as unsettling as it could be.

"I'm assuming the whispers mean that I'll be able to go in soon," they guessed. It was more of a comment to themself; they doubted that the guard would give an actually helpful answer.

The guard stamped his staff nervously, shooting William a glare.

~

Nosa nodded quickly. The other Gelfling climbed down from the table.

"Thank you very much, my lord," he said, bowing low. He nearly tipped over, and Nosa caught him quickly.

"Yes, thank you, Lord Mortician. We won't bother you again, I promise. I...I'd better get him upstairs to rest."

"Certainly," skekRa huffed. "Not likely I'll get any peace now, but go on." The two Gelflings bowed again and hurried out.

William rolled their eyes at the glare and staff stamping. The staff hitting the ground was probably more audible inside the room than their comments had been.

"Look," William said, sighing. "I don't see a need for staying silent right now. I'm not being loud enough to disturb the people inside of the room. You don't have to talk if you don't want, but I'll take the blame for it if you do."

The Gelfling opened his mouth, about to reply, when the doors were thrown wide by two more guards.

"Announcing...er..." One of them looked awkwardly at William. "The creature!"

There was a chattering from the other side of the grand room, which was decked in luxurious red curtains and held a gigantic instrument of some sort upon an overlooking balcony. At the center of the far wall, which was where the speaking was coming from, there was an enormous throne that arched out and over like a curling three-clawed talon.

The Skeksis had fallen silent shortly before the doors opened, but upon seeing William they had immediately started bickering and whispering to each other again. Only the Skeksis upon the throne was silent. After a short moment he held up a withered hand, and the others ceased their noise immediately. They all looked on as the Emperor rose, drawing his robes about him and looking down his metal beak at William.

"What are you?" he demanded in a deep, clear voice. "And what do you want?"

William stepped into the room.

They felt a pit in their stomach at being referred to as the creature, but they also knew the people here had probably never seen someone like them before. They didn't know what to refer to William as. Add in them not having manners, and it wasn't surprising that they disrespected him like that.

Still, William did have manners. They may have never been before a group so powerful before, but they knew a thing or two about how to come across as polite.

They gave a bow.

"My name is William Drago," they said. "I'm not a creature, though I'm sure I look strange to you. I'm something called a human. All I want is to return to my home. I arrived here by accident and by someone else's actions. I'm honestly just as confused as you are by why I'm here."

A murmur went up again.

"Be silent!" the Emperor snarled, and the Skeksis shut up. He pointed to one near the back. "Scientist, there was no Conjunction of any kind recently. Is this correct?" The other Skeksis, disheveled looking and bearing a prosthetic arm, leg, and eye, stumped forward and bowed low.

"Your Eminence," he grated. "Your words are veracious! There has not been a Conjunction in nearly fifteen trine."

"How, then, would something so obviously not of Thra come to be standing in my castle?" The Emperor's head tilted quizzically, and he looked for all the world like a bewildered vulture. "What is the manner of your arrival, 'William,' and where is your home?"

A red-clad Skeksis leaned over to another, who was wearing several pairs of spectacles, and whispered something. The second Skeksis nodded and drew out a roll of parchment and a charcoal pencil, beginning to write.

William had never heard of a conjunction before, but they assumed it was this world's equivalent of alchemy. The comparison wasn't perfect; they doubted any alchemist could for fifteen...whatever trine was in Amestrian time without transmuting something. The Elric brothers kept find excuses to do it, and even Father had been busy making transmutations before every of six original children were created.

"Something called a transmutation circle appeared underneath me while I was walking around town," William explained. "I would draw it for you, but I only saw it for a second. I'm also not an alchemist, so I can't explain how it exactly I would have worked."

They paused.

"I'm admittedly a traveler," they added, "so my home is more my country than a specific location. I was in a mining town called Yoswell, in a country called Amestris."

"I am not familiar with any such place," the Emperor grated. "I rule over all of Thra, I know all lands here."

"Could it be this one is not of Thra?" The Scientist moved closer to William, stretching his long, scrawny neck out to get a better look at the human. "We have not catalogued a species such as this, your Eminence."

There was a long pause. The Emperor seemed to be considering it, gritting his teeth and glowering down at William with something like curiosity mixed with fear. "It is unlikely," he growled finally, and looked around at his fellows. "Those of you who have traveled far, have you seen anything like this creature before? Heard any mention of humans in your wanderings?"

A few of the Skeksis glanced at each other, and a massive one with beautiful blue plummage raised her claw. "I believe I have traveled the majority of this planet, my Lord," she said in a deep, brassy voice. "I have seen nothing like this, nor have I heard of it."

"It brings to mind a stretched and squashed Gelfling," the spectacled Skeksis mused. "How very intriguing."

"Are you of Thra, human?" the Emperor asked finally, turning his attention back to William.

William felt a twinge of...something when the ruler referred to them as a creature. The twinge—maybe anger more fitting of Reyes, or maybe the deep-rooted jealousy they had failed to stamp out for years—only grew stronger when William was referred to as an it.

It was one thing to be referred to with he. That was wrong, but it was a way to fit in with the humans they regularly encountered. But it was something different. It stripped William of their sentience and identity. It was the reason they hid behind a seemingly normal human face, and it made William feel like the group before them somehow knew that their claims of being human was a lie. Like they could see what William actually looked like.

"I'm not," William confirmed. "The world I come from is called Terra."